License-plate holder



LICENSE PLATE HOLDER Filed March 28, 1928 INVENTOR.

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Patente'diNov zon ez'a UNITED STATES 1,692,469 PATENT OFFICE.

wAL'rnB H. REX, or TALLAHASSEE, FLORID ASSIGNOR T cnonnx HOLDING comrA Y, A CORPOR TION or FLORIDA.

LICENSE-PLATE HOLDER.

' Application filedMarch as, 1928. Serial Kansans.

' The present invention relates to means for effecting a'permanent attachment of a metallic member to a support, being generally of v the clamp type wherein nut and bolt means are employed for effecting the attachment.

The invention is susceptible of use in many ways and is capable of employment in varied fields'of mechanical structural arrangements. The present description and illustration are designed to set forth one practical, physical embodiment of the principles of my invention, in order to comply with the statutes. It

is to be understood that the specific illustration doesnot constitute a limitation of the inn vention, but is merely to be construed as a showing of the best. means I have thus far devised for carrying the invention into effect.

At this time the most useful field for the invention appears to me to be in connection with automobile license plates. Heretofore,

it has been possible to effect an easy removal of license plates after they are secured on an I automobile, so that it quite frequently happens license plates are stolen from automo- 'biles and used for 'criminalpurposes upon other machines in an effort to confuse identity, and this-practice has occasioned much trouble for automobile owners and the authorities. In this particular art my invention is designed, and has for one of its objects, to provide a means whereby an automo-. bile license plate may be attached to its sup? porting bar for a permanent mounting, and whereby any attempt to "remove the license 35, plate results in a permanent mutilation of the plate in such degree that its further use is rendered impossible. Other objects are: to provide a novel attaching means for automobile license plates; to provide an attaching means for automobile license plates wherein means are provided for piercing the plate upon attachment,which means operates to cut a portion from the plate when the attaching means is sought to be removed; to provide a novel form of nut andbolt mechanism having means intermediate a nut and bolt head for effecting a cutting action upon ,a member clamped between thenut and bolt-head; to provide a novel form of nut lock means; and generally to provide'an improved mounting for automobile license plates. v "With these general objects and such others in view as will be apparent from the description, the invention resides in the novel from. struction, combinat on and arrangement of license plates'and it is obvious that plates may port.

Figure 3 is a group perspective illustrating the assembly of the attaching means shown in Figure 2. A

Figure i is a perspective of an anchor lug employed in the assembly.

As shown in Figures l and 2, 5 designates the conventional'license plate holder bar of an automobile provided with the conventional slot 6 for receiving therethrough a stem of a bolt, which, n accordance with present conventional practice, is passed through aper- 7 tures 7 provided in a license plate 8, the plate a being clamped against'it-s supporting bar by the usual nut threaded over the stem ofthe bolt. This is the usual manner of attaching so be removed without difficulty.

In carrying out the principles of my invention, I provide an anchor lug 9 having a fiat body portion adapted to be disposed in contact with the rear face of the holder bar 5, being supported thereon by a flange 10 formed integral with the body 9 and adapted to seat over; and upon the top edge of the holder bar, as best'shown in Figure 2. This anchor lug is formed with an elon ated slot 11 positioned for. re istry with t e slot 6 formed" in the holder ar 5 and adjacent the rear face of the anchor lug. The slot 11 is enlarged into a countersunk socket 12 of substantially rectangular formation to receive and anchor the rectangular head 13 of a bolt stem 14 which is extended through the anchor lug and holder bar to project an appreciable distance beyond the opposite side thereof.

The bolt stem 14 is threaded at its outer end to receive thereover a cap nut 15 having a tool engageable portion 16.. The inner face of the nut 15 is provided with an annular series of ratchet teeth 17 having their inclined faces disposed in the direction of rotation of the nut in its advancing movement over the bolt stem. Cooperating with the nut 15 is an annular follower member 18 having a central bore 19 of suflicient diameter to permitof the follower member being loosely engaged over 11 the bolt stem for freedom of rotary and longitudinal movement thereon. i

As best shown in Figure 4, the outer face of the follower member 18 which is disposed adjacent the nut 15, is formed with an annular series of teeth 20 which are complemental tothe teeth 17 carried by the nut, and the opposite face of the follower has formed thereon at a plurality of diametrically opposed s aced points, laterally extending lugs21 whic are shaped to form entrant points 22 andv knife edges 23, which knife edges are active only in a counter clockwise direction relative to rotation over the bolt stem. Acting in conjunction with the nut and follower, is a disc shaped bearing member 24 provided with a central bore 25 for its reception over the bolt stem 14, with the diameter of the disc 24 being less than the distance between diametrically opposed knife lugs 21 on the follower 18, A

split spring washer 26 is also employed in the assembly. a

In attaching a license plate to its holder in accordance with this invention, the anchor lug 9 is first positioned at the back of the, holder bar 5 and the bolt stem passed through stem is received through the slotor aperture 7 provided for that purpose in the face of the plate. When the plate is applied the follower member 18 is then slid over the projecting end of the bolt stem and rotated thereon to bring the entrant points of theknife lugs 21 into engagement with the plate at the desired The nut 15 is then threaded over the pgints.

1t stem-and advanced in the usual mannerwith the results that the interenga'gement of the teeth 17 and 20 force the follower 18 longitudinallyover the bolt stem and under continned advancement of the nut, the knife in s present an effective retaining surface, there will be no undue bending of the material of H .tion of. the follower over' the bolt stem,.as

and 20 throughout t 21- will ierceand be forced through the b0 y of the 'cense plate, as shown in Figure-2. Inasmuch as the washer 26 and bearing disc the-plate, and the knife lugs 21 canpass readily through the plate and extend over the periphery of the bearing disc 24 rearwardly.

of the license plate. This piercing movement of the follower isaccomplished withoutrotathere is a slipping en agement ofthe-teeth 17 of the'nut.

follower and adapted to e advancing movement holder, it will be found impossible to do so without cutting out an appreciably large portion ofthe plate. In the retracting movement of the nut 15, the teeth 17 engage with the teeth 20 on the follower 18 so as to cause asimultancous rotation of the follower whereby the knife lugs 21 present the knife edges 23 'in an advancing movement, bringing about the cutting out of all that portion of the license plate which is included within a circle described by the knife ,lugsduring their rotation. The area of the-cutout portion depends, of course, upon the diameter of the follower 18, but it is suflicicntly lar e so that the license not be opened without destroying the closure plate, so as to prevent further use of the container. There are many other fields of usefulness and I again desire to have it understood that the invention is not to be limited by the terms employed in this description and lllustration of an operative embodiment thereof. I claim: p 1. The combination with an automobile license holder and a license plate adapted to be su ported thereon, of a bolt having its head 'sposed in anchored engagement with said su port, the stem of said bolt extending through saidlicense plate, a nut threaded onsaid bolt for clamping said plate against said support, a rotary cutter movable longitudinally over said bolt. for penetratingengagement in said license-plate upon advancing movement of said nut, and means on said nut for rotating said cutter upon retractive movement of said nut.

2.- The combination with an, automobile license plate holder having a license plate disposed thereon, of a bolt extending through said holder and plate, an annular'bearin member disposed between said plate an .holder and supported on said bolt, a nut threaded on said bolt for-clampin said plate in position on said support, afolIower movable longitudinally over said bolt between said nut and the plate, spaced knives on said plenetrate through said plate beyond the 'rip cry of said aimular member under a vancing movement of said nut, andinterengaging means on said nut and follower for rotatingsaid knife members about the'periphery of said annular member undr retraetive movement of said nut. 5

lower longitudinally. and rotatably movable Ill over said bolt and between said nut and anchor member, means on said nut for moving said follower longitudinally on the bolt during advancing movement of said nut, means on said nut for rotating said follower simultaneously with said nut during retraetive movement of the nut, spaced knife members extending laterally from one face of said follower adjacent the peripheral edge thereof tance between oppositely spaced knife members on said follower.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature.

WALTER H. REX. 

